‘Art of Manga’ Captures the Cultural Zeitgeist

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By Noma Faingold

Manga has a rich past, a phenomenal present and perhaps, a transformative future. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco recognize the current zeitgeist by presenting “Art of Manga,” the largest manga exhibition ever staged in North America.

Japanese comics and graphic novels, known as manga, have permeated pop culture around the world. The exhibition, opening at the de Young Museum on September 27, features rarely displayed genga (original drawings) by 10 major artists. More than 600 drawings will be on display.

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Silents Please! and Listen

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The 2025 Iteration of SF’s Famed Silent Film Festival Unspools in an Art Deco Gem in Orinda

by Meredith Brody  (November 10, 2025)

I bow to no one in my appreciation, nay, adulation, of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival (aka SFSFF).  It’s not only one of the jewels in the crown of local film festivals, but now has achieved international acclaim, drawing attendees not only from the US but the world. Continue reading →

‘Lands End’ Is Just the Beginning for Filmmaker Steve Peletz

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By Noma Faingold

Steve Peletz, 65, underplays his high-risk activities. He’s been scuba diving for more than 40 years. He joins marine biologists on expeditions in remote, exotic waters off the coast of Costa Rica, Columbia, Mexico and the Galápagos Islands. As a volunteer “citizen scientist“ his task is usually to tag different types of sharks so they can be tracked.

In 2019, he took up swimming in the ocean, specifically with a group at China Beach on the West Side of San Francisco. Peletz brought his GoPro camera on virtually all of more than 1,000 swims. He combined his lifelong love of photography and the ocean into his first film, “Lands End,” a nine-minute short getting its world premiere at the Green Film Festival of San Francisco (October 24-30), at the 4-Star Theater. “Lands End” will be screened along with “The Last Dive” on October 26 at 3:30 p.m. Continue reading →

Messages for the Future

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The United Nations Association Film Festival returns to the Bay Area with another urgent, globally expansive lineup. Running from October 16–26, the 28th edition of UNAFF brings 60 documentary films to venues across Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Stanford University. More than just a film festival, UNAFF is a civic forum—a space for dialogue, reflection, and action.

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The Fairyland Journey

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By Noma Faingold. (updated October 10, 2025)

Andrew Durham had been reliably wearing several film industry production hats, but he had never much thought about directing a feature film until good friend Sofia Coppola presented the 2013 book, “Fairyland, a Memoir of My Father,” by Alysia Abbott to him.

Award-winning screenwriter/director Coppola had optioned the property and was a committed producer. She knew the unconventional father/daughter coming-of-age story, set in San Francisco, from the 1970s to the early 1990s, would resonate with Durham’s background, having grown up in the Bay Area during those tumultuous decades. Continue reading →

Food Set Chef Melissa King Free

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By Noma Faingold   (Updated October 2, 2025)

Chef Melissa King was not like the other kids growing up in Whittier, a small city in Los Angeles County. While her peers watched Saturday morning cartoons, she was glued to Julie Child shows, Martin Yan’s “Yan Can Cook” and other television cooking programs.

“I was always very interested in food and I liked to eat,” King said.

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Melissa King’s Lemongrass Cioppino Recipe

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Lemongrass Cioppino

Melissa shares her recipe for Lemongrass Ciopinno

I had to pay homage to my city’s iconic seafood stew, cioppino. Italian immigrant fishermen working on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf in the late nineteenth century created this quick, one-pot dish from a base of simmered tomatoes, garlic, and white wine with contributions from the local catch—halibut, Dungeness crab, shrimp, and mussels. I bring in Asian aromatics like lemongrass, ginger, and lime leaves for an even more complex flavor. You can make the base the night before. The next day, bring it to a simmer before adding the freshest seafood available from your fishmonger. Level it up: Cooked Dungeness or king crab legs combined with the shrimp and fish make a delicious addition. Continue reading →

SPICE UP YOUR FOOD:Recipes for Strawberry and Tomato Season — and more

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Recipes by Erica Perez and John Beaver unless otherwise noted.

Curated and adapted by Gary Meyer

(updated August 30, 2025)

Spices from the Oaktown Spice Shop can take a very good dish to new levels.

C.J. Hirschfield wrote about Oaktown as they have adapted during the pandemic to provide their goods to home chefs around the world. EatDrinkFilms has chosen some recipes and comments from their website (plus one of our own) to get you started.

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There is a full meal starting with Bloody Mary cocktails, a zucchini salad, strawberry spaghetti, and chewy molasses cookies for dessert; plus great popcorn idea to eat while watching an after-dinner movie.

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